Princess Diaries: Michael's POV in book ten
by liveluvlaf
Summary: This is book ten :forever princess from michael's point of view. It starts when Michael returns from Japan and first sees Mia at Columbia. This is my first fanfic so please review!
1. Chapter 1

"Michael, Michael!"

I looked up from my conversation with a group of Japanese businessmen who were interested in seeing my lab, to sigh annoyingly when I heard my sister's voice. I actually did miss her smart-ass comments in Japan, but she didn't need to bother me _now._She could clearly see that I was in the midd-

"Mia."

I couldn't help it. A smile broke on my face. There standing next to Lilly was the only person who had been on my mind the whole time in Japan. I couldn't believe she was actually here. Was she alone? Where was her boyfriend? Did he know she was here? Why was her face all red? I fought the urge to pick her up and kiss her and walked across the stage telling myself to calm down and breathe properly.

"Um. Hi." She said back. A small smile broke across her face. It reminded me of the times when I used to make her laugh and she would look so beautiful. But that hurt. I needed to stop thinking of the past.

"Mia's here representing the _Atom._ She's doing a story on you Michael. Aren't you Mia?"

Mia slowly nodded in a slightly confused way. Why was she being so shy? Did she want to do the story, or did my maniac evil sister assign it to her? I know they aren't friends anymore, but even Lilly wouldn't do that. _Say something. Say something._

"How are you doing?" Good Mike. Keep it friendly. Don't scare her off. It felt weird standing there and not wrapping my arms around her. It felt wrong.

"Why don't you ask Michael a question for your story, Mia?" Lilly said to her, poking her in the shoulder. Hard. Why did Lilly do that? Really, she needs to stop hurting people. Especially Mia.

"Ow!" Mia said. I'm not surprised. The number of scars I have from Lilly _did not_ fade in the twenty one months I spent in Japan.

"Where's Lars," I asked with a laugh. I surly would have noticed his big frame when I was giving the speech, "You better watch out, Lil. She generally travels with an armed escort." I would know too. It was kind of hard to kiss her goodbye with some discreet under the neck action when her six foot gun-holding bodyguard with trained defensive moves was loudly clearing his throat. Still, Lars was a good guy. He and I had gotten along fairly well whenever Mia went to the bathroom or some other private place to write in her journal (did she still do that?). I guess I was kinda hoping that he would punch that stupid JP kid when he kissed her. _Wistful thinking Mike._

"He's around here somewhere," she squeaked out with a small laugh. "And I'm fine, thanks for asking before. How are you doing, Michael?" she said. I have to admit, I felt total bliss when she said my name.

"I'm great." What else can I say? I'm also making millions of dollars and proving myself to the world so that I can finally have you? I wish. Unfortunately, that would not go over well.

Then my mom just _had_ to come up then and say, "Honey, this man over her is with _The New York Times_. He wants to talk to you. Can you just…" and then she sees Mia. Great. "Oh. _Mia._" Why did she have to make those big eyes? Why? You can just tell that Mia was getting embarrassed. I don't blame her either. After her fight with Lilly, I mean seriously who would even dare to come over?

"Hi, Dr. Moscovitz," she said in an even squeakier, even smaller voice, "How are you?" Why was she acting so shy though? If she had a boyfriend, she would at least talk to me like a friend. I mean she had in the emails. But those were emails after all. For all I know, she could have sat in front of the computer for hours thinking up the right reply. Did that mean….Could she really…Was she still? No. She had a boyfriend and from what Boris and the pictures have been telling me, she's perfectly happy. She's probably over me. But she was so shy…I mean it's a possibility…..

"I'm fine sweetheart," mom said, snapping me out of my reverie, as she leaned over to kiss her cheek, "I haven't seen you in so long. It's lovely you were able to come."

"I'm covering the event for the school paper." She said a little too hurriedly. Was she trying to cover something? Maybe she came because she wanted to? But Lilly said….never mind. She was over me. Completely over me. "But I know he's busy. Michael, go talk to the _Times_…"

"No," I said. I was not giving her up this easy. "That's okay. There's plenty of time for that."

"Are you kidding me?" she said in her real voice. I would have liked it if she tried to push me towards the reporter dude, but then I remembered that wasn't allowed. "It's the _Times_!" she yelled. At least she was impressed now. It was always her appearing in the _New York Times_ though she never liked it.

"Maybe you two could get together for coffee or something tomorrow," Lilly said. Thank you Lilly! I love you! Wait, why exactly was she doing this? I thought she hated Mia? "For like a private interview."

"Hey," I said in a way to cheery voice, "That's a good idea. What do you say, Mia? Are you around tomorrow? Want to meet me at Caffe Dante, say around one?" Please say yes. Please say yes. Pleas say yes. I was rich. I could finally afford to treat her to whatever she wants.

And then she nodded! "Yes, one tomorrow is fine. Okay, great, see you then." O thank you god. She said yes! I smiled and turned away. A thought came to my mind and I turned around.

"Oh, and bring that senior project of yours. I can't wait to read it!" I probably shouldn't have said that. She looked kinda sick now. But then again, she didn't email me her book on Genovian Olive Oil Presses (no offense but I seriously think she could do better than that. She seemed like she didn't want me to read it. I wonder if her boyfriend wanted to read it?). I turned back around and went into a deep discussion with the reporter. But Mia was always in my mind.

When we finally went home (mom wouldn't let me stay at my place. She said I needed some good food after all that squid and sushi), I asked Lilly what that was all about.

"Lilly, why did you assign Mia the report on me? You know she probably didn't want to."

Lilly got all mad and said, "I didn't! She didn't even show up for the meeting! I wanted to but she wasn't there so I gave it to Gretchen, Lana's little sister!"

"Wait. If you gave press passes to Gretchen, how did Mia get in?" I was confused. True, the security was pretty lax but still, you did need press passes to get in.

"She said she was filling in for Gretchen, but I'm not sure if she was lying or not….."

"Wait a second. _You_ couldn't tell if your best friend was lying? Mia's a horrible liar. Plus you said her nostrils flare or whatever when she lies! Lilly, I need to know why she was there!"

"Jeez, calm down bro. I checked her nostrils but they didn't do anything. I think she got better at fibbing a lot now though. And why do you even care why she was there? It's not like you still… Oh my god! You do! You still love her!"

She was pointing at me in an accusing way. I groaned and flopped down on my old bed. It felt good. I looked up at my plastic stars and remembered Mia's first birthday gift to me. Moon rocks. Oh I loved her.

"Lilly, stop pointing at me! So what if I do? You know why I went to Japan. And even if she is going out with your ex boyfriend doesn't mean you still have to hate her. I thought you knew that when you said we should meet again in private!"

Her face got all sheepish and shy and she said, "I did. I'm sorry Mike. But I just wanted to see if you still had it for her. I think she does too."

I perked up at this and the little fire inside me grew bigger. "What do you mean? How do you know she still likes me?"

"I'm not saying she does for sure. But she doesn't act the same way with JP that she used to be with you. But I wouldn't know. We don't talk anymore."

"Why not Lilly? I know you were mad when she kissed that moron in the hallway but you have Kenny now. And it wasn't that big of deal. I thought you already broke up with him."

I said the wrong thing. Lilly got all red again and screamed, "You don't understand! Nobody understands! I thought Mia would, but nooo. She let that boy get to her!"

And then she stormed out of the room. Wow. I just realized how quiet life was in Japan because Lilly wasn't there. I let my mind drift to other things. Well okay. I let my mind drift to Mia. I remembered everything about her: What made her angry, what made her happy, how she hated princess lessons, those times when we used to go to school together. Our first Valentine's Day. The necklace I gave her for her birthday. Our breakup and how she stormed out of the hotel room and left the it lying all pitifully on the floor. I pulled out the necklace and stared at it. Yes, I kept it. But you can't blame me for hoping. I thought about Judith Gershner. I probably should have told her before too. . . . . . . .

"Hey you goof. Since you've declared your love for her, are you going to her birthday party?" Lilly stuck her head in again.

My brain was fuzzy and I wasn't paying attention. I was still staring at the snowflake necklace when I asked, "What d'you mean?"

Lilly rolled her eyes and said, "If only the reporters could see you now. How did you even build a robotic arm with a brain like that? I said are you going to Mia's birthday party?"

At the mention of her name, I buzzed with excitement. "But I didn't get an invitation."

"The rest of us got ours just now. You'll probably get yours tomorrow or something. Her grandmother probably sent it to your place. So, are you going?"

"Yah. Probably…" I let my mind drift off. I needed to get Mia the perfect present. But it couldn't be anything too big right? Because then her boyfriend might get jealous, although all I want with that guy is a fistfight. I didn't work out in Japan for nothing. Something small then.

All I could think was that I was back and that I came back for Mia. I wasn't going down without a fight. Plus, you can't deny it. Her shyness today hinted at something. Maybe, just maybe, Mia still loved me. Only she didn't know it yet. Then it was up to me to make her see it.


	2. Thinking about her

A/N: Hi. Thanks to those of you who reviewed. This chapter is a little boring. Mia is not actuallly in it but I wanted to get a scene where Michael isn't with her. Please tell me what you think.

Disclaimer: I don't own the plot or the chracters. They all belong to the brilliant Meg Cabot.

I woke up the next morning to find myself caught back in the life of my crazy, paranoid, lovable family.I decided to go back to my flat despite my mother's protests. I couldn't stay another minute in that house.

My darling sister would not stop talking on her next segment of Lilly Tells It Like It Is. She kept going on and on about some infectious ear fungal disease that made me want to throw up. Then Kenny_(I don't care if he wants me to call him Kenneth. It's not happening in my mind)_came over and they disappeared into her room. They were still in there when I left too. All I can say is that I hope they're not trying to have sex when they are actually occupying the same house as my psychoanalyst parents. Who by the way were treating me more like a patient than their son. I didn't think I could endure another session of of their self pity. I really didn't need to hear thing such as, "Well, how do you feel about this Michael?" or "Is she still on your mind Michael?" or "You know there are other fish in the sea Michael."

I have to admit, the last one was rudely added on my mother's part. Lilly had so cleverly told them of my plans to meet with Mia later and I found it very hard to ignore the looks they kept shooting at each, and not to mention me (though I ignored them), other across the table. So right after I finished by toast, I was out the door and hailing a taxi. I used a rented car in Japan and hadn't yet gotten around to picking out a car that would impress Mia.

Back at my flat, where my luggage already was, I busied myself unpacking. Then Boris came over because he wanted to see the flat that he was going to be living in next year while he waited for a single to open up at Julliard. He seemed pretty impressed and wouldn't stop thanking me. Well it's the least I could do for him considering that he kept an eye on Mia for me and convinced her to start replying to my emails while I was in Japan. It's pretty surprising how close Boris and I have gotten when we were on different continents. Then again, he _was_ in my old band.

He also heard about my plans with Mia. From Tina of course.

"So, Mike, are you planning on doing anything?"

"What do you mean? Isn't inventing a robotic surgical arm sufficient?"

"You know I'm talking about Mia."

"I don't know _what_ to do Boris. She just seemed so attached to JP in all the pictures and newspaper articles. I mean, she did show up yesterday which was a bit of a surprise, but I don't even know why. Lilly said she doubts that is was because of the Atom."

"Ya. Tina seemed on the verge of telling me something when we went out last night. Did you know she was there too?"

Now this made something click.

"Tina was there? Why? Did anyone else go?"

"Umm…ya. Lana, Trisha, and Shameeka too."

Whoa. This made me sit upright. Until then I was slouching on the plush velvet sofa (I didn't design the place. The furniture was already there when I came and seeing as I had none of my own, I left it there) drinking soda. Now the soda was all over the floor.

"Hang on a minute. Slow down. Why were they _all_ there? Lilly said she only gave two press passes! Why did Mia bring everybody?"

Boris looked slightly disturbed at my outburst. "I don't know. All Tina told me was that they went with Mia to Columbia so that she could write something for the paper."

"But why everybody? Mia already has a bodyguard. She doesn't need four more."

"Five. You forgot Tina's bodyguard."

"Arggghhh! I spend 21 months in Japan and girls are still hard to understand? Why did Mia bring all her . . . . . . . . . . ."

My voice trailed off as a new revelation came to me.

"Of course," I whispered for some reason.

"What is it Mike? Don't leave me hanging."

"Earth to Mike..."

"Boris, what if Mia didn't want to come? What if it's the opposite of what we're thinking?"

"Mike, _what are you talking about? Mia was there._"

"What if they dragged Mia there? _They _wanted to see the ex-boyfriend. Not Mia."

I sank back on the couch and groaned. I know Mia. She hates confronting people. So why on earth would she want to go?

"Well it's possible. But you don't know for sure. I mean maybe she really wanted to see you." Boris's voice dragged back to the conversation.

"Anyways, I gotta go. I need to practice for my senior project presentation."

"Oh ya. I forgot. Carnegie Hall right? Wow Boris. You've expanded. Remember when we used to lock you in the closet?"

"Oh very funny. It still happens. Anyways, you can come if you want. It's on Thursday. Well, see ya."

"Ya. Bye." I said as I pulled myself off the couch. Boris took one last look around the place before he said,

"You've done pretty good you know. You have a pretty good chance." And before I could ask what he meant, he was out the door. Gee thanks Boris. Great help. I shouldn't say that. He was a good guy. At least he hated JP for me when I wasn't there.

Stretching, I looked at the clock. 11:30. Wait a second. 11:30? 11:30! I need to get ready to meet Mia! _You can't be late this time Mike! _I had so much to do. What should I wear? Should I go sports jacket or tight t-shirt...or should I go for a casual tux? _The tux would impress her. Or would that look like I'm trying too hard? __Probably the t-shirt. She'll see your muscles. Oh and with some nice fitting jeans._ Groaning, I grabbed a towel and dashed off towards the bathroom.

On my way, I spotted something lying on the kitchen counter. It was a gold envelope. Inside it said,

**_Her Royal Highness_**

**_Dowager Princess_**

**_Clarisse Marie Grimaldi Renaldo_**

_requests the pleasure of your company_

_at a soiree to celebrate the eighteenth birthday of _

**_Her Royal Highness_**

**_Princess Amelia Mignonette_**

**_Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo_**

_on Monday the First of May_

_at seven o'clock in the evening_

_at South Street Seaport. Pier Eleven_

_The Royal Genovian Yacht_

_Clarisse 3_

Yeesh. What a mouthful. Something tells me that Mia did not plan this. I only had till Monday to figure out the perfect gift? I could do it. I mean I remember our first date when I had to scrath the whole planand redo it because Mia had to go to some ball thing and could only come later. Then she got me moon rocks. And then she...

Ahhh Mike! Your date. _Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!_

I was not going to be late. Not this time. Pausing for a fraction of a second, I took the snowflake necklace out of my pocket and hung it on the mirror in the bedroom. A reminder of what I was fighting for.

A/N. A little cheesy I know. Please tell me what you think. Any type of review is welcome.


	3. Caffe Dante

I jumped out of the taxi and stood for a moment in front of the door. Then I took a deep breath and went in.

I looked around for Mia and when I found her, my deep breaths got stuck on their way up. It's just that Mia looked so…..sophisticated. I hadn't gotten a good look at her at Columbia. Lily said that she made friends with Lana Weinberger (the most unlikely pair. I for one still remember the time Mia broke Lana's cell phone to pieces when she antagonized her. That's my girl.)

She wore tight jeans that hugged her in all the right places and showed off her long legs, a off the shoulder top that I was sure did not come cheap, and these crazy boots. Was Mia really wearing designer labels? But….I liked it. Not just her clothes, but the way she sat(her posture had slightly improved, something I would only notice after spending some time with her grandmother), the way her legs tucked under the chair, and most of all the way her hair fell around her face when she bent her head.

She was writing in her diary. Of course. For some reason, this made me relax. Mia was still the same person underneath all those clothes. I took a deep breath and started walking towards her.

She saw me coming and quickly closed her diary. Well it's not like I had a chance anyways. She never let anybody read it. I wondered if she let that jerk read it. Lars spotted me and smiled. I grinned back before turning to Mia.

"Umm….Hi Michael! Here take this seat," she said, kicking out the seat opposite her. I noticed that her eyes lingered for a fraction of a second on my muscles. Score!

"Hey Mia. Am I late or anything?" Please god don't say yes. I spent a while getting ready. I really want to pick her up and kiss her or a hug at least. _Save it for the end_.

"Oh no. Don't worry. I came here a few minutes early to get rid of the paparazzi."

"Ya. I guess that's a good idea. Don't want the paparazzi seeing you with me huh?" _Are you kidding me! I would love your scumbag of a boyfriend to see you on a date with me!_ Oops. Maybe I shouldn't have said that. She looks a little scared right now.

"Anyways, never mind that. We're at a café. We gotta order. What do you want?" I asked hurriedly.

"Oh I can pay for this. I'm the reporter anyways. I'll have a latte please," she said to the waiter.

"You're the reporter. I'm the friend. I get to pay for this Mia. Hot chocolate please."

"Fine then. Are you ready for the interview?"

_What interview? Oh right. That interview. _Stop looking at her lips Michael.

"Totally. Go."

"Kay. Is it okay if I record this then?"

_Record this: I love you._ Get out of it Michael…

"Ya. Sure that's cool."

She pulled out an iphone from her designer clutch and turned it on.

"An iphone huh? You've officially gone Mac."

"What? Oh. Um. Ya. Why? Are you against Mac now?" she said with a playful smile. Ahhh. There it is. I was wondering if it would ever come.

"No….sorta. I'm blackberry now." I pulled out my phone for proof.

"Gosh. You are just like Lana. She thinks iphones are old technology."

_So it was true._

"So, you and Lana are friends now?"

"Yup. What about you? Did you meet any new people in Japan?"

"Actually, I think that's what your interview is about."

"Interview? Oh right! Shoot!" She pressed a button on her phone and looked up.

"So, it's okay if I record this?"

_Wait. Huh? Didn't she already say that?_ Michael focus on the conversation.

"I said it was." Good. Laugh casually. Make her blush.

"I know, but I need to record you saying it. I know it's stupid."

At this point, I just let go and was myself….in a polite way.

"It's not stupid._ I am for letting you go._ It's just kind of weird. I mean to be sitting here being interviewed by you. _And not letting my hand touch yours. _First of all, it's you. _My ex girlfriend who is now dating some theater jerk who hates it when they put corn in the chili._ Second of all…well you were always the celebrity. _Not that you liked it very much."_

"Well, now it's your turn. And thanks again, so much for doing this. I know how busy you must be, and I want you to know I really appreciate you taking the time out to meet with me.

_Gosh girl. Don't go formal on me._

"Mia…of course. _Of course, I would do anything for you. Heck, I would jump in front of a train for you. But you've got body guards for that."_

"Okay, so first question: What inspired you to invent the CardioArm?

"Well, I saw a need in the medical community and felt I had the technical knowledge to fill it. There've been other attempts in the past to create similar products, but mine is the first to incorporate advanced imaging technology. Which I can explain to you if you want, but I don't think you're going to have room for it in your article, if I remember how long the stories are in the _Atom_.

"Uh, no, that's okay…"

_Say it Michael!_

"And, of course, you" _Score!_

"What?" Oops. Not quite what I was hoping for. But then again, Mia isn't the type of girl to kiss her ex boyfriend just because he said he did something for her.

"You asked what my inspiration was for inventing the CardioArm. Part of it was you. You remember, I told you before I left for Japan, I wanted to do something to show the world I was worthy of dating a princess. I know it sounds dumb now, but…that was a big part of it. Back then." _It's still a big part of it. I love you! If I say it enough times in my head will you hear me? I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you…._

"R-right. Back then."

Looks like that idea didn't work.

"You don't have to put that in the article if it embarrasses you, though. I can't imagine you'd want your boyfriend reading that." _I would._

"J.P? No…no, he'd be fine with that. Are you kidding? I mean, he knows about all that. We tell each other everything." Ouch that really hurt. She probably didn't mean it, but it took me back to that night when I told her about Judith Gershner.

"Right. So he knows you're here with me?"

"Um. Of course! So where was I? Oh, right. What was it like to live in Japan for so long?"

I don't know what it was. Maybe it was how she'd seemed nervous since I met her at Columbia, or how that laugh had a slightly nervous ring to it, but I knew she was lying and that JP didn't know that she was here. This made me increasingly happy and I answered the question with a little too much enthusiasm.

"Great! Japan's great. Highly recommend it." I didn't put in the part about how it might have been better if she was there.

"Really? So are you planning on…Oh, wait, that question's later…Sorry, my grandmother woke me up really early this morning and I'm all disorganized."

Doesn't really matter considering that she looks great but it made me ask another question.

"How is the Dowager Princess Clarisse?" Strange as ever I bet.

"Oh, not her. The other one. Mamaw. She's in town for my birthday party."

Right. I forgot that considering her grandmother's extremes, she probably would've invited all the celebrities too. Although Mia's other grandmother was the farthest thing from celebrity, I'm pretty sure she was forced to invite them.

"Oh, right. I wanted to thank you for the invitations to you party."

At this, Mia turned a fierce shade of green. It lasted for a second and then disappeared.

"The invitations to my _party?_"

Wait. She didn't know?

"Right….Mine arrived this morning. And my mom said hers and Dad's and Lilly's came last night. That was really nice of you to let bygones be bygones with Lilly. I know she and Kenny are planning on going tomorrow night. My parents, too. I'm going to try to make it, as well."

Huh. _Try _to make it? I already cleared my whole schedule for tomorrow night in the taxi on the way over. I left out the part about Lilly because I was pretty sure that she didn't want Mia knowing that she cared. Typical. But why didn't Mia know we got the invitations? Some sort of fear bubbled up inside me. Fear that maybe I was wrong. It was like she didn't plan on us coming. True, I understood that she probably didn't know I would be back but she seemed pretty surprised that Lilly got one. Then again, the invites for them came yesterday….

I was pretty much wrapped up in my thoughts that I didn't hear Mia mutter something under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Okay…so what did you miss most about America while you were gone?"

Easy.

"Uh…you?"

"Oh, ha ha. Be serious." I know. I was being serious. Well, if I must…

"Sorry. Okay. My dog."

"What did you like best about Japan?"

She seemed to be asking another sort of question with her eyes. I just couldn't figure out what.

"Probably the people. I met a lot of really great people there. I'm going to miss some of them-the ones I haven't brought over here with the rest of my team-a lot." Somehow, this seemed to answer that question.

"Oh. Really? I mean…so you're moving permanently back to America now?"

So she wanted me to stay. Or am I reading too much into this?

"Yeah, I have a place here in Manhattan. Pavlov Surgical will have its corporate offices here, though the bulk of the manufacturing will be done out of Palo Alto in California.

I answered enough questions. I needed to ask _her _something. Besides 'Do you still love me?' I mean.

"Oh. So…" she started.

"Can I ask _you _a question now?" She looked scared. Like she knew what it was and didn't want to answer it.

"Um…sure."

"When am I going to read your senior project?" I wasn't joking either. She kept avoiding the question when I asked her in our emails.

"See, I knew you were going to ask me that…"

"So, if you knew, where is it?"

"I have to tell you something."

Whoa, her eyes got all big and her mouth was set but it kept wavering. It was the same face she had when she told me that she didn't want to have sex. Trust me. I would remember.

"Uh-oh. I know that look."

"Yeah. My project's not about the history of Genovian olive oil presses, circa 1254-1650."

Well, I'd like to say I was completely surprised, but some part of me knew that Mia had more in her than_ that_.

"It's not?" I said in a completely innocent voice.

"No. It's actually a four-hundred page medieval historical romance novel."

Wow. All I can say is wow. She kept something like that a secret for how long? I would have thought she'd have told somebody. Especially Tina. I mean, from what I hear from Boris, that girl is over the moon about romance novels. But nobody actually found out? I mean, nobody wanted to read it? Not even her boyfriend?

"Sweet. Hand it over."

"Seriously. Michael-you're just being nice. You don't have to read it."

She's kidding right?

"_Have_to? If you don't think I want to read it now, you're high. Have you been smoking some of Clarisse's Gitantes? Because I'm pretty sure I got high once on the secondhand smoke from those." I didn't mention what I did afterwards. Which was drop water balloons at every single person that walked under our window with Felix.

"She had to quit smoking (good thing. Not that she followed that). Look, if I e-mailed you a copy, will you just promise to not start reading it until I've left?"

YES.

"What, now? You mean this minute? To my phone? I completely and totally swear."

"Okay. Fine. Here it is."

I had to look down to see it.

"Outstanding. Wait. Who's Daphne Delacroix?"

"You said you wouldn't read it!"

Oops.

"Oh my god, you should see your face. It's the same color red as my Converse."

It was redder.

"Thanks for pointing that out. Actually, I changed my mind. I don't want you to have a copy anymore. Give me your phone, I'm deleting it."

Whoa. Uh-uh. No way girl. Not now.

"What? No way. I'm reading this thing tonight. Hey-cut it out! Lars, help, she's attacking me!"

Actually, I quite liked it. She reached over and tried to wrestle the blackberry from my grip. I kept her off without actually throwing her off. It was fun.

"I'm only supposed to intervene if someone is attacking her, not if the princess is attacking someone else."

So if I tried to hit on the head with the salt shaker in a move of defense, he would attack _me_? Not that I would.

"Give it to me!"

Ya. Right.

"No..."

And then her hand touched the cup of hot chocolate on the table and it tilted over and spilled on my jeans. We both fell silent.

"Is there a problem here?" Why do you have to butt in now? Just go back to your kitchen. We do have a bodyguard you know.

"No."

"No."

"No. Please excuse them. Too much caffeine." Thanks Lars. Great. Now Mia looked embarrassed and worried. Why did I have to make that comment on her face?

"Sorry, Michael. I'll pay for dry cleaning…"

"Don't be stupid…." Wait. Was her phone still on? "Are you still _recording_ this?"

She looked down and laughed. Then she turned it off.

"Well, I guess that's it." She said. Oh, come on please don't go.

"Are you sure you don't have any questions left?"

"Oh, I got enough information for the _Atom_. And I got to go take my grandparents and Rocky to the zoo."

"Alright then, and I'm paying too." I put down my card faster than she had time to pick up her purse. She sighed and smiled.

"Apparently, there's no point trying to convince you otherwise. Well, I go to go. It was nice seeing you again." She held out her hand for me to shake.

You're kidding me right?

"I think we can do a little better than that, can't we?" I held out my hands for a hug.

"Of course." Why was her voice shaking?

When she stepped into my arms, it felt so good. I didn't even feel like we were standing in Caffe Dante. I wanted to stay there. And then she sniffed me. Which wasn't anything new; she always used to do that. But this made her step back and say,

"Well um…. I go to go now. Bye." She left without another word and got into her limo.

I was left standing there until Lars stopped by to say,

"I liked you better than the other kid, Michael. Please try to get her back."

I looked up at him and smiled.

"Thanks, Lars. I am."

With that, Lars strode out of the Caffe as if the conversation didn't even happen."

I looked down at my phone, and I saw the book. Sighing, I sat down, ordered another hot chocolate, and began to read.


	4. A Princess for a Princess

I was three quarters of my way through the book when my mom called.

"Michael, honey, remember the Fergusons? Well, they're thrilled that you're back and they want to meet you. Can you come for dinner tonight?"

I sighed and said I would. I hung up before she could ask me how it went with Mia. I really wanted to finish the book.

The book was amazing. I never really got a chance to read something Mia actually wrote, except for that contest essay called "No More Corn!" It was about her current boyfriend before she knew him. She made him jump in front of an F train. I loved it then and I love it even more now.

But this, this was wow. I didn't know Mia could write like this. Yes, it was a romance novel and yes it did have a few sex scenes, but it was beautiful. Why in the world did she keep this a secret?

Well it was almost four o'clock and mom wanted me there early so I stood up and paid for my fifth cup of hot chocolate. When I stepped outside, I began to hail a taxi when I remembered to get Mia a present. Figuring that the Fergusons could wait a while, I walked down the street and around looking for a store. I didn't want to get her anything from Saks or somethinging considering that her grandmother would take care of that. I was about to give up and turn around when I saw it.

The store was an old run down, run of the mill type place. Something I would normally have avoided. Had it not been a Star Wars Memorabillia store. I ran inside, my insides jumping. They had everything from t shirts to backpacks to cute little bracelets. I was deciding to buy Mia one of the braclelets when I saw something else. On the counter next to the cash register, was a Princess Leia USB drive. It was sitting all alone in this big box. I knew it was for Mia. I mean, the girl never backed anything up. And it was Princess Leia! Her number one fictional hero!

Without thinking, I picked it up and gave it to the cash register who was an old man that looked half dead.

"ten dollars."

"Here, keep the change," I said, throwing down a fifty dollar bill and picking up my bag. I ran outside and hailed a taxi.

I would be late for dinner with the Fergusons. Ah, who cared? I got a present for Mia.


	5. Lilly's mistake

_A/N: So So sorry I didn't update. I have been very busy with homework. I know this chapter won't be impressive but I'm saving all my creative juices for the date and prom night. I won't be able to update on a regualr basis anymore but I will try. Thanks so much to everybody who reviewed. _

"So, Michael, you're big and famous now. Remember when you used to be that crazy kid obsessed with computers?"

Mom, dad, Lilly, and Mrs. Ferguson laughed. I forced a polite chuckle.

I never reallt liked Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson. They were friends of my psychoanalyst parents and our old babysitters. They clung to us like lint on that ugly orange sweater I never wore. Literally, they had to watch us wash our hand before dinner so that they could make sure we were doing it right.

"Just make sure to send me a good birthday present." Mr. Ferguson joked.

I smiled. Did I even know his birthday?

"So, you are quite the catch now Michael. Any new girls?"

At this, Lilly snorted into her salad. Mrs. Ferguson raised her eyebrows at her.

"Oh it's nothing really. It's just that Michael really likes to cling to the past in that area." Lilly said(the traitor).

"I don't understand."

"It's nothing Mrs. F. Lilly should know better than to talk about my love life at the table." Or anywhere else for that matter. I shot her a death glare.

This of course did nothing to help the problem.

"Your love life? Oh! This is about that princess you dated before you went to Japan is it? Well, I say that you let her go. Nothing like a snotty, conceited princess to bring you down."

This riled me up. A snotty, conceited princess? That was the worst description that I've ever heard of Mia! Looking over at Lilly, I noticed that she was feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"Mia is not snotty. She is not conceited. And as much as she hates being a princess, it's not her fault and I think she does a damn good job at it." I growled.

"Yes dear. You would think that. You dated her. But you do need an outsider's point of view. I mean, the girl has got absolutely no talent! Is she just going to be a princess her whole life?" I couldn't believe this woman. Did she actually just say that?

"Actually Mrs. F, she writes. And she's a great writer," I said coldly. Mrs. F looked pretty taken aback. With that, I pushed my chair back and walked out of the room.

In my old room, I turned on my old computer, took out Mia's present and plugged it into the computer. There, I searched through layers of junk and essays until I found what I was looking for. The castle came into sight with a banner that said a cute love message that Mia wrote to me a long time ago. Without thinking, I downloaded it onto the USB drive and put the drive in an envelope. I wrote a quick note, making sure to sign it love at the end and put that in too. Good. Now I would give this to Lilly to give to Mia. She couldn't be so mad at her that she wouldn't give her a birthday present right?

I waited until I heard the Fergusons leave and I walked over to Lilly's room. Without pausing to stare at the posters she put up there, which I have to warn you are very inappropriate, I showed her the envelope. She just raised her eyebrows at it.

"It's Mia's birthday gift. Just give it to her at school tomorrow okay?"

"Am I allowed to look at it?" she asked.

Why refuse? I know she would just do it anyways.

"Whatever. I can't stop you."

She just nodded and turned around to her computer. I peeked at the screen and my jaw dropped open.

"WHAT ARE YOU READING!"

She whipped back around. She probably thought I left the room because then she tried to exit the site. I however, used my big muscle hands to stop her, thus earning a few more scars.

"LILLY, TELL ME WHAT THAT IS RIGHT NOW!"

"Okay, okay. Just lower your voice. Now don't get mad at me because I haven't updated it in years and I never really wanted to do it much and well see, I was really mad at her so….."

"Lilly," I said in a deathly quiet voice, "tell me the website name."

She gulped and for what may be the third time in history, she actually looked scared. "Its called .com."

I exploded. After a few minutes of vulgar swear words, I whispered in a broken voice, "Lilly, how could you?"

"Michael, I was mad at her okay? Plus I haven't updated it in years. So chill."

Chill? I would not let this chill. No way. Lilly had to pay.

"Ha. No way. You have to do something for Mia now."

"Mia? I don't owe Mia anything. She stole JP remember?"

"After he broke up with you, plus I'm working on that. Fine, if not for Mia do it for her dad's election."

For once, Lilly didn't seem to reject the idea. She seemed to kinda like it.

"Fine. I have an idea about this commercial but I'll have to dig up some of those old videos….."

Satisfied, I left her room. I told my parents I had to go to my loft and left before they could ask me anything about the dinner scene.

Back at the loft, I got a call from Felix, my old buddy. He heard that I was back in the New York and wanted to meet up. I told him that I couldn't tomorrow cuz of Mia's birthday party. Then he remembered.

"So Mike, how's that post breakup going?"

"It's not going at all Felix. I'm trying to get her back."

"Isn't she with some guy, AJ no, it's PJ…."

"It's JP."

"Right! That's the one. Anyways, your ten times the man he is. Good luck with that. A word to the wise, get her before prom night."

"Wait, prom night? O, that's this week. What about it?"

"Michael, Mia seems like this kind of girl and you were probably with her long enough to know that she had some prom night fantasies…."

"Well yeah. That was supposed to be when we you know…"

"I do know. And Mia knows that its not going to be you on that night."

"What? JP? She's going to have sex with JP?"

"Now don't get hysterical Michael. It's important to keep your head. Prom is on Saturday. You havefive days before that to get your game straight. Starting with tomorrow. I heard aobut the big birthday bash. Surprise her."

An idea came to my head.

"I got it Felix. Thanks man. I owe you one. Well, I gotta go."

"No problem. Go get her Mike."

That night, as I lay in bed, I thought about how I would approach Mia. First, I would ask her for a dance. That's normal right? Then when we were dancing, I would tell her I still loved her right before the song ended. Then should I leave? No, I would try to get as many dances with her as I could, before theater nerd showed up. Or maybe, instead of telling her there, I could tell her to meet me somewhere the next day! Well, I'd do what felt right.

_A/N: Don't forget to review!_


	6. Good Night

_A/N: Hey its me again. Thank you everybody for the awsome reviews and I found out just how efficient google translator is. I'm sorry that this is not an interesting one and I just wrote this one for something to do. The birthday party will be the next chapter I promise. Don't forget to review!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or the plot. That is Meg Cabot's._

I looked in the mirror for the fiftieth time and asked Lily for the hundredth time, "How do I look?"

"Like someone looking to get lucky tonight. You'll scare off all the girls." I didn't notice the sarcasm in her voice and went into panic mode.

"Is it really that bad? Should I change into a different one? Does Armani really look that bad on me?"

Lilly rolled her eyes at me and told me I was acting like a girl. I dropped onto the couch with my head in my hands. Kenny sighed loudly.

"Come on Mike….the party'll be over by the time we get there."

"Kenneth, can you wait outside for a moment? Me and Michael will be right out."

I sighed. For the past twenty somewhat hours, I had been wavering back and forth on what was going to happen tonight. Out of desperation(cuz I would never do it in another situation) I asked Lily to stop by my loft so we could go together. We both knew that what I really wanted was a morale boost. I know, I know, Lilly is not the most reliable person to count on a morale boost for but she knew Mia longer than I had and had an idea of what I was going through. Also, Felix's pep talk did not keep my asleep for very long.

Lilly turned around once Kenny left and put her hands on her hips. She looked more forbidding than ever…if that was possible.

"Michael, listen up and listen good. You are going to that party tonight and you love Mia. You bloody well love her! And do you know how I know this? Cuz I just swore like a bloody British person and I only do that when I am bloody sure of something . I honestly have never been more sure of anything in my life okay? And that's a scary thought."

For a few seconds I just looked at my sister. She really was losing it. Swearing like a British person? Once this night is over, I'm getting one of my doctor friends to look at her and test her sanity. If she turns out that she's sane, then I will have the certificate framed and put up in her college dorm room. If not, well…..we can think about that after I find out how this night goes. I might still need her.

"….And I'm not done yet Michael, cuz Mia needs you. She doesn't know it yet, but she does and I'm pretty sure if she sees you again, she'll love you too. So you need to quit moping and hanging your head like a sick dog. Get up off that couch and get in the limo cuz this is your night!"

Lilly stopped. She was breathing kind of hard and it made her look like the dragon lady. But she had a point. I couldn't stay like this. Mia needed me. Or I need her. Either way, I need to be near her. With a new type of resolve in me, I got up and walked out the door, Lilly following right behind. Kenny was waiting by the limo that I had requested to drive us to the yacht. Right before Lilly slid in, I grabbed her arm and did something I have never done before. I kissed her cheek and whispered, "Thanks," in her ear. She looked kind of surprised but pleased.

I was the last to step into the limo and as the driver closed the door after me, I took a deep breath and looked out the window. Next to us a taxi cab had pulled up. It was playing the song "Good Night."

I sighed and leaned back. Closing my eyes, I pictured Mia's face when she found out I still loved her. I crossed my fingers and hoped that tonight would be a good night.

_A/N: Yes I know. Lilly speaking British? even though she strongly opposes the monarchy? I couldn't help it. I love the way British people swear. One reason why I love Harry Potter._


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